Deacon

Status: Deceased
“My job's mainly intel, so the more places I go, the better I'm doing it.” — Deacon regarding his position in The Railroad.
"Deacon" (real name unknown) is a Railroad agent living in the Commonwealth in 2287, and a potential companion of the Sole Survivor.
Background Deacon is a spy for the elusive synth liberation organization, the Railroad. Little is known about his past prior to joining the Railroad, as he readily admits to lying about his own history. Among other things, he claims that he was among the first liberated Gen 3's, that he helped found the Railroad in the 2210s, and that he is the true leader of the organization with Desdemona serving as a figurehead. Even the Railroad themselves are in the dark about much of his past; Desdemona privately suspects that he and the enigmatic "John D." are one and the same.
Early life The most detailed account of his past that he provides holds that as a youth he was a member of the University Point (UP) Deathclaws, a gang that harassed people accused of being synths. Their antagonism escalated to the lynching of a man suspected of being a Gen 3. Shaken by his part in the murder, Deacon left the gang to settle down as a farmer. Sometime later he married a woman named Barbara. They intended to start a family, but the UP Deathclaws reemerged and attacked the farm. The gang somehow had learned - to both Deacon's and Barbara's surprise - that Barbara was a synth.
Enraged by her execution, Deacon butchered the gang in a bloodthirsty haze. In the aftermath of the slaughter, he was contacted by the Railroad, who was evidently unaware of his prior affiliation with the gang. Despite believing himself undeserving, Deacon swore himself to their cause. As with most of his stories, there is no evidence to prove or disprove this claim, though unlike his other stories, he insists on its authenticity when pressed.
Working for the Railroad Sometime during or prior to December of 2273, he took the name "Deacon" and survived yet another Institute raid on the Railroad, with Pinky Thompson attributing the organization's survival to his escape plan. When Pinky stepped down in 2277, he aided Doctor Carrington and Desdemona in revising the organization's policies to put a focus on operational security.
In 2287, Deacon remains one of Desdemona's top men, carrying out important missions and escorting synths of high value for the Railroad. Most of his work undercover has been tracking persons of interest. When the Sole Survivor awakens from cryostasis inside Vault 111 and starts making waves in the area, Deacon takes an interest in the traveler. He shadows them throughout the Commonwealth in order to gather information on their activities, with the hopes of recruiting them for the organization in a time of crisis.